Residents Receive Roofs
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
St. Landry Parish residents are continuing to receive new roofs as part of a $1 million state funding program that provides metal and shingled replacements for qualified low-income recipients.
On Monday District 40 State Representative Dustin Miller and program executive director Kevin Delahoussaye visited two of the 60 parish residents whose roofs were approved for replacement under the Blue Tarp initiative offered by the Louisiana Housing Corporation Disaster Recovery Program.
Ronald Faul, a 68-year-old home owner who lives in the Prairie Ronde community, said he nearly cried when he learned that he would be able to begin removing the five-gallon buckets which caught the water seeping into his home through a roof that continuously leaked .
“It really did bring tears to my eyes when I saw I was getting my roof. The roof was gone. A neighbor had helped me when he brought a tarp over to help me keep the water out for the last year or two,” Faul said.
“This roof is going to help me keep my house for a couple of more years,” added Faul.
At another location roofers were busy scraping old shingles off the roof of a Pujo Street home owned by Opelousas resident Lois Handy, 73.
Handy, who graduated from J.S. Clark High School, said the old shingles, which had become brittle and were unable to remain on her roof, were causing a persistent problem.
“I didn’t have any leaks, but whenever there was a strong wind, I would lose some of my shingles,” Handy said, as workers stapled the new shingles to her frame
Miller, who in November announced the application and qualification process for the Blue Tarp program, said the replacements are ongoing.
Once applicants are approved, qualified inspectors are dispatched to prospective residences in order to determine whether there is a need to proceed further, Miller said.
Miller pointed out that each approved applicant can receive up to $15,000 of financial assistance for each roof.
Roof work on the homes began about three weeks ago, Miller added.
“There are eight houses that have been completed and we are going to keep going in order to provide people in this parish with more security for their houses,” said Miller. .Miller explained that many applications were rejected, especially in cases where elderly home owners had died and left their heirs with residences that had roof issues.
Faul said he was thankful that he had received financial help from the Blue Tarp program.
“It’s helping out a lot of people like me who can’t afford a new roof,” Faul said.
